Wellbeing simply requires a little giving here and there, and it is a significant key to establishing a great mental health
When it comes to wellbeing, I will argue that the greatest reward comes from giving. Over the years, many have tied happiness and wellbeing to the number of properties, cars, and wealth they control. But is that true? Really true? I guess except you have been there, you will never really know for yourself.
However, it’s a good thing I have lived in this reality, and so have many who have shared their experience. According to H. Jackson Brown Jr, the happiest people are not those getting more but those giving more.
From personal experience, every time I give, I have felt great and lasting joy. Bottom line is, giving is beneficial to your wellbeing, and here are the reasons why.
It Brings Happiness To The Giver
Like H. Jackson Brown Jr said and from my personal experience, giving is beneficial to your wellbeing for the count of the happiness it brings to the table. This is a proven fact and if you have been engaging in the act and still do not understand what I speak of, then perhaps you aren’t taking notice enough, or you are giving for the wrong reasons. Giving has to be fueled by love and an earnest desire to want to help people. If it isn’t either of both reasons, then you should reconfigure your steps or even stop giving as it will bring you no good.
Promotes Cooperation and Social Connection
Giving brings people closer. It’s no news nor surprise that whenever you give to someone, you tend to get something in return. It might not be from that same person because when giving becomes a habit, people are naturally drawn to you. This, in a nutshell, promotes cooperation, social connection, and great mental wellbeing.
Good For Your Health
Ben Carson, in his time, stated that happiness does not result from what we get but from what we give. The act of generosity itself is one which should be practiced often for the good of both the receiver and the giver.
Practicing the act of giving is certainly a step in the right direction. When you give to sick people or the elderly, you promote good health in their life. The reason is quite simple. Your act of kindness and giving makes them feel loved and in overall boost their wellbeing to a certain level. The mind is a powerful tool and can be used to survive just about any challenge. When people going to any sort of crises are showed love and kindness, a zeal to want to live it born and wellbeing is the result.
When giving, one should also always know that giving is a practice, and you shouldn’t push yourself to the limit in the act. That will most likely take away the joy of giving and increase stress levels.
Giving Invokes Gratitude
Contrary to what you might believe, gratitude isn’t just for the receiver. It is also for the giver. According to researchers, gratitude is essential to the wellbeing, happiness, and social bonds for the receiver and that of the giver.
According to Robert Emmons and Michael McCullough who are co-directors of the Research Project on Gratitude and Thankfulness, they found that teaching college students in the act of “count their blessings” as well as cultivating gratitude allowed them to exercise more. To be more optimistic and feel better about their overall lives. In a recent study which was headed by Nathaniel Lambert at the Florida State University, they discovered that expressing gratitude to a friend or romantic partner strengthens our sense of connection to that person.
Barbara Fredrickson, who is a pioneering happiness researcher, advises that cultivating gratitude in our everyday life, is one of the major keys in increasing personal happiness and wellbeing. “When gratitude is expressed in your words or actions, you not only boost your own positivity but that of everyone around you as well.” In her book “Positivity,” she writes. “In the process, you fortify their kindness and strengthen your bond to one another.”
Related: 11 Health Tips supported by Research
It Promotes Mindfulness
While being mindful might not be the reason you start giving back in the first place, one thing is certain. Once you begin giving, you tend to become mindful of what affects people, and in the long run, help promote your wellbeing and even improve your leadership skills.
John D Rockefeller said I will pay the most for someone who can manage people. Leadership skill is a valuable skill and one you can acquire by being mindful and mindfulness which you can acquire by being a giver.
Bottom Line
These are the reasons the act of giving is beneficial to your wellbeing. However, you will understand it’s not only about you but also about the people around you, the people you give.
Also read: Social wellbeing and its importance
